Illusion
by Melissa Mendelson
Summary: Strange dreams lead McKay and the team to rescuing a woman that appears to be more than what she seems.


**Illusion**

By, Melissa Rachel

The air was cold, making it even harder to breathe. Feet slipped and stumbled across the muddy earth. Eyes frantically searched the woods for a way out. Desperation and fear clinged to the skin as the uniform was consumed in sweat. Jagged breaths broke the silence as the feet took off in another direction.

Entering a clearing, Dr. Rodney McKay spotted a long, white cylinder. He hurried over to it and punched in a code. Stepping away, he watched a glass door retreat back into the cylinder. Spinning around, he made sure that he was not followed, and he turned back around to stare at a young woman sleeping inside the capsule. He was about to reach toward her when he was seized by a Wraith, and he watched in horror as its hand slammed into his chest.

Sitting up in his bed, McKay looked around his room. He was saturated in sweat. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath and begun to rub his chest when he winced in pain. Pulling his drenched shirt away from his skin, McKay saw the hand print of the wraith.

**Sick Bay**

"How long have you been having these dreams?" Dr. Jennifer Keller treated McKay's wound.

"The last couple of nights." McKay winced in pain. "Actually, maybe a week. It's been different each time."

Sitting on a medical bed, McKay glanced around sick bay. He tried to not watch Keller clean his wound. Looking upward, he tried to take in a deep breath, but his chest still hurt.

"Being attacked by the Wraith?"

"Yeah... And the girl."

"Girl? What girl?" Keller looked at him.

"I don't know, but I think she's in trouble." McKay looked confused. "I'm rescuing her from the Wraith."

"How is he, doctor?" John Sheppard approached them.

"Physically, he's fine." Keller turned toward him. "Mentally is another question."

"I'm not crazy. Look. You see this? This is what you get when a Wraith feeds on you." McKay pointed to his chest.

"I know, but the question is how did you get that?" Sheppard stared at him.

"I don't know, but we have to go to this planet." McKay jumped off the bed. "We need to save her."

"Save who?"

"This woman that's trapped in some cylinder. The Wraith are after her, and we don't have much time. We have to go before they get her." He started to move past them when Sheppard grabbed him by the arm.

"I think you should stay here."

"No, I have to go with you. I'm the only one with the code." Sheppard let go of him.

"Code? What code?"

"The one that will open the cylinder."

"And I suppose you have the gate address too?"

"Yeah... I do." McKay and Sheppard exchanged looks.

**Conference Room**

"Out of the question."

Sitting at the head of a conference table, Colonel Samantha Carter addressed McKay, Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan, and Ronon Dex. She leaned toward them and folded her hands in front of her. Her eyes moved from McKay to Sheppard. "This could be a trap set by the Wraith."

"I honestly don't think the Wraith are that smart." McKay looked at her. "Why would they use this girl and her capsule in my dreams?"

"Bait," Ronon said.

"Teyla, is there a way you could find out if the Wraith are behind these dreams?" Sheppard turned toward her.

"As I told you once before, John, I cannot connect to another's mind. The last time that my mind melded with the Wraith queen, she threatened my child. Besides, I think Rodney is right."

"I am?" He looked at her in confusion.

"Yes. Why would this girl keep appearing in Rodney's dreams, and why would he continue to try and rescue her? The Wraith may very well be after her, and she is sending... An S.O.S."

"But why me?" McKay pointed at himself.

"I do not know." Teyla looked sympathetic at him.

"It could be a trap." Ronon looked at Teyla and then at Sheppard.

"I agree." Sheppard returned his look. "However, I guess we should investigate it." He glanced at McKay. "There's no telling how more these dreams are going to become... Violent."

"Thank you, Sheppard."

"You're welcome, McKay."

"Okay. Check it out, but be careful." Carter looked at everyone. "It could still be a trap."

Forrest

Walking through a forest, McKay tried to get his bearings. He looked up at the sky and then down at the ground. Scratching the back of his head, he tried to remember which path that he took.

"You're lost, aren't you?" Ronon stood behind him.

"No. I'm just trying to remember." McKay hardly looked at him. "I think she was this way." He moved down toward one path.

"What if we don't find her? What if the Wraith already took her?"

"I don't know, Teyla." Sheppard walked beside her. "Come in, Delta One. Any activity at the gate?" He held the radio up to his face.

"No, sir," a gurgled static replied.

"Okay. Just keep an eye out." He motioned for Teyla to follow Ronon and McKay.

"I found her!"

Running over to the capsule, McKay looked for the keypad. His fingers hung over the buttons. Hesitating, he looked around to see if any Wraith were hiding nearby.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ronon looked at him.

"This is usually the part, where the Wraith show up."

"Then, hurry up." Ronon gave him a slight push.

"Okay, okay. No need to be pushy." McKay punched in the code.

A moment later, the door retreated into the capsule. Lights flickered around the young woman before growing dark. A beeping monitor was strapped to her arm.

"Now, what?" McKay looked at Ronon, Teyla, and Sheppard.

"Sir, we have activity at the gate! Two darts just came through!" A gurgled static erupted from Sheppard's radio.

"Oh, no." McKay turned toward the young woman.

"We're heading back now! Hold your positions!" Sheppard moved past McKay and picked the unconscious woman up into his arms. "We have to move. Now." He hurried into the forest as two darts flew overhead.

**Sick Bay**

"We barely made it back before those two darts could make our position." Sheppard walked with Carter into sick bay.

"The question is what were they doing there unless they were tracking that capsule." Carter gnawed on her lip. "I want to know what we're dealing with." She glanced at him.

"I'm sorry, but I got some bad news." Keller approached them. "She's still unconscious."

"Can you wake her," Carter asked.

"I tried." Keller turned toward the bed, where the young woman slept. "I haven't been able to wake her."

"What about that device that was strapped to her arm?" Sheppard looked over at the young woman. "It beeped a lot."

"McKay is checking it out. In the meantime, I'll continue to monitor her, and I will let you know as soon as she is awake."

"Okay." Carter watched Keller walk away from them. "Hopefully, we'll get some answers soon." She looked at Sheppard.

Lab

"Any luck on that device?" Dr. Radek Zelenka walked into the lab.

"Hardly. It seems to have been damaged in the crash."

Sitting at his table, McKay stared intently at the device in his hands. His eyes ran over every detail of the heavy, metallic object. His fingers gently pushed a few buttons to no avail. "Nothing. I mean it has a energy pulse to it, but I'm not getting anything."

"You look tired. Maybe you should get some rest, and I'll take a look at it." McKay shot him a look.

"Why? So, you can get the credit for turning this on?" McKay shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm just... Tired." He looked frustrated and tossed the device to the side.

Slipping off the table, the device crashed to the floor. A beeping was heard. The screen lit up, and words written in Ancient appeared on the screen.

McKay started to reach for the device when he felt everything go black. A moment later, he found himself standing on a hill. His eyes became focused to the bright sun above him, and he gasped at what he saw before him.

Replicator ships flew past him and fired upon a large city. Bodies were seen among the debris. Others were running for cover but didn't get too far. There was no rescue for these people, and McKay was trapped watching their slaughter. A moment later, he caught sight of the capsule as it flew into the sky and shot off into space, escaping the blasts of one Replicator ship.

"Rodney!"

Sitting up on the floor, McKay stared into the concerned face of Zelenka. He glanced at the device lying next to him, alive and beeping. Touching his nose, he grimaced in pain and noticed blood on his fingers. Speechless, he only stared from his hand back to Zelenka.

Sick Bay

Walking quickly into sick bay with Zelenka at his side, McKay found a commotion going on inside. He watched as Keller charged the paddles and shocked the woman that he helped rescue. A nurse started C.P.R. before the woman was shocked again.

"Clear! Come on!" Keller checked the woman's pulse. "Clear!" She was about to shock her again when the machine next to her began to beep. "Damn. That was close."

Opening her eyes, the woman looked up at Keller. She turned her head, noticing McKay standing nearby, and her eyes flashed a silver color. Coughing violently, she tried to sit up, but Keller pushed her back down in the bed.

"Easy. It's okay. You're safe. It's okay." The woman obeyed and lied back down in the bed. "You scared us there for a moment, though." Keller smiled kindly at her, but the woman did not return the smile.

"Where am I?" She turned to look back at McKay. "Who are you people?" She turned to look back at Keller.

Carter and Sheppard entered sick bay. They glanced at the young woman before moving over to McKay, who was being treated by Keller. A look of concern crossed Sheppard and Carter's face.

"You okay?" Sheppard stood next to McKay.

"I think so." McKay looked from him to Keller.

"I need to run a few tests, Rodney." Keller watched him nod in consent. "Okay. I'm going to draw some blood first." She turned toward Sheppard and Carter. "I'm also running some tests on our new visitor." She gestured toward the woman, who was now watching them. "She's awake, if you want to talk to her." Carter and Sheppard nodded before walking away.

"Hi. I'm Colonel Samantha Carter, and this is John Sheppard." Carter and Sheppard stood next to the woman's bed. "And you are?"

"Casey. Casey Novorana." She sat up in her bed.

"Casey. What's the last thing that you remember?" Carter looked expectantly at her.

"My world was being attacked by something called Replicators." Carter and Sheppard exchanged looks. "Everyone was slaughtered. Nobody knew the attack was coming, and my people were all killed."

"How did you manage to escape?"

"The capsule that you found me in." She turned to look at Sheppard.

"Hold on a sec." McKay approached them. "After I blacked out, I saw a world, a city being attacked by the Replicators."

"Yes. That was my world, my memory." She noticed the confused looks on everyone's faces. "I have the ability to transmit memories, messages to others mentally. It is a gift among my people. It was a gift among my people." Tears filled her eyes. "Now, they're gone." Her eyes flashed silver, causing Carter and Sheppard to look at each other.

"Are you sure that they are all dead?" Sheppard sensed something was off.

"If they weren't, they would have found me not you." She shot him a look. "They're dead."

"I'm sorry." Casey's face softened as she looked at Carter.

"Me too." She glanced at McKay before looking away.

Carter's Office

"You got a moment?" Sheppard walked into Carter's office.

"Sure. What's up?" Carter sits at her desk, going over some paperwork.

"Does something feel off about Casey?"

"What do you mean?" She watches Sheppard walk up to her desk.

"I don't know. I mean... Why pick McKay? Why send him the S.O.S. and memory of her world being destroyed by the Replicators, and why make him suffer at the same time?"

"It could be a side effect of her abilities."

"Maybe, but something doesn't feel right about this."

"Bad timing?" Sheppard and Carter noticed Keller standing in the doorway.

"No. Come in." She gestured for Keller to enter her office.

"I got the lab results back on Casey." She looked from Sheppard to Carter. "She's part alien, a D.N.A. that I am not familiar with." She took in a deep breath. "She's also part Ancient."

"What?" Sheppard looked surprised.

"How's that possible? I thought the Ancients left this universe a long time ago." Carter looked from Sheppard to Keller.

"They did, and I think our visitor needs to answer some more questions." Sheppard shook his head, hoping his gut feeling about her was wrong.

"That's not all of it." He looked at Keller, who sighed again. "If my test results are right, the alien part of her is dying."

"What does that mean," Carter asked.

"I don't know. She could survive being part Ancient, or she could..."

"She could die." Keller nodded at John's words.

"How much time does she have," Carter asked.

"Not long," Keller replied.

McKay's Bedroom

Lying in his bed, McKay begun to dream. All he saw was darkness. He felt somebody standing close to him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Casey, whose eyes flashed a dark, silver color.

Opening his eyes, McKay got out of bed. He quickly got dressed. He started to leave the room when he froze in his steps. He moved to a drawer nearby, where he found a stunner, and he wondered how that got there. But he didn't have time for questions. She called to him, and he had to respond.

Sick Bay

Moving as quickly as he could, McKay made his way into sick bay. He looked around, noticing only a few people nearby. He hurried over to Casey's bed and helped her to her feet. He started to move her toward the door.

"Hey!" Without hesitating, McKay stunned the nurse standing behind them and then quickly left the sick bay.

Main Room

Code Red was sounded. Sheppard, Ronon, and Atlantis's security teams begun to search for McKay and Casey. Carter waited for their reports in the main room of the city.

Hurrying over to Carter, Zelenka was nearly out of breath. He was clutching the monitor in his right hand. His hair was messed up, and his glasses slid down his nose. "Carter."

"What's wrong?" She looked at him and then down at the monitor.

"This thing is not a monitor." He took in a deep breath and then released it. "It's some kind of device that injects this serum into our visitor. From the tests that I ran, it seems to be some kind of medicine that affects D.N.A. It was made by the Ancients."

"So, they knew that she was dying," Carter said more to herself.

"I'm sorry?" She looked at Zelenka.

"The alien part of Casey is dying, and obviously the Ancients were trying to save her with this device. But how did they know about her? How did they know how to save her?" She shook her head. "We need to find her and McKay."

"Rodney's missing?" Zelenka looked surprised.

"Yeah. He just took Casey out of sick bay, and we were tracking them through the city when they disappeared off our scans."

"Where were they last before you lost their signal?" Zelenka moved past her over to one of the main controls.

"Somewhere in the outer part of the city." Carter looked at the main controls. "Here." She pointed at the screen.

"All that is over there are just labs that were once used by the Ancients. Why would they go there?" He looked at Carter.

"Obviously, Casey is very familiar with this city and with the Ancients." Carter looked annoyed. "Sheppard was right. There was something off about this, and McKay could be in a lot of trouble." She gnawed on her lip as Zelenka continued to stare at her. "I want to you run more tests on that serum and get back to me as soon as you can." She watched Zelenka nod in response before leaving the room.

Lab

Waking up on a cold floor, McKay was bombarded with a piercing headache. He closed his eyes and moaned in pain. Slowly, he stood up from the floor and looked around the dim room. Spotting Casey nearby at a control panel, he made his way to the doorway, where he was zapped by a force field.

Stumbling backward and onto the floor, McKay picked himself up once more. He glared at Casey. His eyes fell on the stunner near her.

"Don't even think about it." She hardly looked at him as she pushed some buttons on the control panel. "Also, don't think that your people will save you. Right now, they can't detect us. I'm blocking our signals."

"Why are you doing this?" She stopped working on the control panel. "Why me? What did I ever do to you?" She glared at him.

"You? You killed my people. Thanks to you, the Replicators killed my people. How many worlds, how many people died because of you?" McKay looked at his feet. "Don't tell me that you feel guilty?"

"I do." McKay saw Casey shake her head in disbelief. "If I knew that reprogramming the Replicators meant that they were going to do what they did, I wouldn't have done it." She stared at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not. Yet." She glanced at the stunner. "Nobody knew about my people. They lived phased out of time until the day when a ship crashed onto their planet. It was badly damaged by aliens called the Wraith, and the survivors were Ancients. My mother was one of them, and she told me about this city. This was her lab." She looked at the stunner again. "My people lived in real time for a short while, and then I was born. And because of my condition, my survival depended on living phased out of time. My mother returned here to find a cure. One Ancient returned to tell us that this city had fallen and that my mother was gone. And then, one day, the Replicators came, and they knew about our technology. Once they took out the generators that kept us phased out of time, they just picked us off one at a time. Thanks to you." Her fingers etched toward the stunner. "You took my world, my people away from me." She stared at him for a long moment afterward but then resumed working on the control panel.

"The Replicators must have tapped into the Ancients' database, and that is how they knew about your world." McKay glanced back at the door and then at Casey. "You said condition."

"What?"

"You said that because of your condition, you had to live phased out of time. What condition?"

"Forget it."

"You're holding me hostage here, and you tell me this long story about you, your world, and its destruction. Humor me. What condition?" Casey stopped working on the control panel.

"I'm dying." McKay looked surprised. "The blending of two races, the Ancients and the Dervonains wasn't a good idea." She laughed at that.

"You think that's funny?" Casey grew serious. "How long do you have?"

"A day maybe. The Ancient that returned gave me the monitor that you found. It injected me once a day with serum that my mother created to stabilize my alien D.N.A. I'm searching her records now to figure out how to create more, but the problem will be getting out of here afterward."

"Well, my people can help you. This is stupid. Why kidnap me? You could've just asked for my help."

"Let's get one thing straight. Whether I find the cure or not, it doesn't mean anything to you."

"Well, what does that mean?"

"It means that I am going to kill you either way." McKay stared at Casey in shock.

Corridor

Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla searched the outer part of the city. Their guns are held out in front of them. Their eyes scanned the area that they were in before they continued to move on.

"She's scared."

"What?" Ronon glanced at Teyla.

"I can feel it. She's scared, angry, and she blames McKay. I'm just not sure for what."

"I can take a guess. Because of McKay, the Replicators destroyed many worlds, many people, and her world was one of them." Sheppard scanned the area.

"But it wasn't McKay's fault."

"In a way, Teyla, it was." Ronon moved past her.

"She wants to kill him." Teyla looked at Sheppard.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Sheppard returned her look.

"Sheppard, you there?" Carter's voice was heard through the radio.

"I'm here."

"You remember that monitor that was found on Casey?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"It was actually a device that injected serum into her to stabilize her D.N.A. It's a good assumption that she is in a lab somewhere, trying to find a way to re-create it."

"Okay. We'll narrow the search to all the labs around here. Thanks."

"There's something else, Sheppard."

"What's that?"

"I have an idea on how to help her." Sheppard glanced at Teyla and Ronon.

Lab

A sharp pain ran through Casey. She gripped the control panel, trying to steady herself. Closing her eyes, she felt warm tears running down her face. She took in a deep breath, but it was painful.

"You okay?" McKay moved closer to her.

"Stay away from me." She glared at him.

"Obviously, you're in pain. Why don't you let me help you?" She shook her head.

"You've done enough, McKay."

"You're being stupid, you know that?" He walked closer to her. "I can help you."

"I don't want your help." Casey grabbed the stunner. "Now, back off." She aimed it at him.

"You know, if you really were going to kill me, you would've done it already instead of messing with my head." Casey's hand shook. "You never killed anyone before, have you?" She continued to glare at him. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about your mother, your people, and your world. I'm sorry."

"I doubt that. I doubt that you ever lost anyone that you ever loved!"

"I actually did. I lost a good friend to the Replicators. She risked her life for me and my team mates to escape, and I'll never see her again." McKay took a step closer. "I know what it feels like to lose someone."

"And what would you do if given the chance to find the one responsible?" McKay looked at the stunner. "Would you just let him go?"

"There's something called forgiveness. You forgive."

"I can't, and if I am going to die, then you will too." She zapped McKay, watching him fall to the floor.

Corridor

Locating the lab, where Casey and McKay are, Sheppard tested the doorway. He got a sharp zap from the force field. Shaking his hand, he looked at Ronon and Teyla.

"Well, obviously, they're in there." He stopped shaking his hand. "We just need to get through this force field." He looked over the doorway. "What would McKay do?" His eyes moved over to the control panel.

Lab

Waking up on the cold floor, McKay shook his head. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Slowly standing up from the floor, he turned to look at Casey but didn't see her standing by the control panel.

Moving to the other side of it, he found her sitting up against the wall. The color was drained from her face, and she was holding her stomach. Sweat glistened on her face, and the stunner laid by her side.

Looking over at the control panel, McKay realized that she found what she was looking for. However, she didn't start the process of creating the serum. All she had to do was punch in a few more keys, and the computer would have begun to create it.

"What are you doing?" Casey looked up at him.

"Saving your life." McKay started to work on the control panel.

"Why? You win. Just let me die here. I should die here, after all this is my mother's lab."

"And I doubt your mother would want you to die in her lab." McKay shot her a look. "I doubt your mother would approve of trying to kill me." Casey looked away. "There. The computer is creating the serum following this formula." He glanced at her. "It'll just be a few minutes before we can actually create the serum."

"It's too late. I wasted all my time and energy on hating you." McKay and Casey stared at each other for a long moment. "Lower the force field and go. Get out of here."

"No, not without you." McKay walked over to her.

"I agree." He turned around to see Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla standing nearby. "You okay?" Sheppard looked at McKay.

"She's not." McKay turned from Sheppard back to Casey.

Mess Hall

Later on, Sheppard found McKay in the mess hall. McKay was sitting along and drinking a cup of coffee. He watched Sheppard sit down in front of him.

"It's late, McKay. Why don't you get some sleep?"

"No. Not until I know that Casey will be okay."

"Have you heard anything?" McKay shook his head.

"The serum should've worked, but I haven't heard anything yet." He looked down at his coffee cup. "I understand why she felt the way she did. Because of me, a lot of people died."

"Hey." He looked up at Sheppard. "It's not your fault. You didn't know."

"But I should be held responsible for what I did."

"Look, McKay, it was a tough situation, and you had to make a quick decision. You shouldn't be held accountable for that. We were at war with the Replicators, and in war, we sometimes make the wrong decisions. You shouldn't be held accountable for that." McKay looked down at the table. "I understand how she felt. Her people were killed, and her world was destroyed. She was looking for revenge, and that was why she found and targeted you. But she was wrong." McKay looked up at him. "And she needed our help, and maybe, if she had just asked for it, she would be okay right now."

"That's what I told her," McKay replied.

"McKay. Could you please come to sick bay?" Keller's voice was heard over the radio.

"Go." Sheppard watched McKay leave the table and walk out of the mess hall.

Sick Bay

"How is she?"

Greeted by Keller, McKay was led into the sick bay. Keller kept a gentle hand on his hand. Her brown eyes softened at his concern.

"She's okay. We couldn't save the alien part of her, but the serum was enough to stabilize her."

"What are you saying? That she's all Ancient now?"

"No. She's human, McKay." McKay looked at Keller in surprise. "That serum converted her D.N.A. into human D.N.A."

"How's that possible?"

"Apparently, the serum contained human D.N.A. I guess that was how Casey's mother intended on saving her. She's awake and asking for you." Keller walked away.

Walking over to Casey's bed, McKay turned to pull a chair up next to it. He took a seat and looked down at his hands. His eyes slowly moved up to meet Casey's gaze. "I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

"I should be the one apologizing." Casey stared at him. "I was wrong, and I'm sorry." McKay nodded. "And I lost my abilities, so you don't have to worry about me messing with your head again." McKay laughed.

"So, I can actually get some sleep." He smiled. "Has Sheppard or Carter spoke to you yet?"

"No. You're the first since the procedure. Why?"

"Well, if you behave yourself, they were talking about letting you stay here in Atlantis. You could explore your mother's lab more, see what else she worked on."

"I would like that." Casey smiled. "I remember her, but I only have a few memories of her." McKay nodded again.

"Well, family is important, and I'm sure she would be happy with you staying here. This was her home."

"Then, I guess I will stay."

"Good." McKay patted her hand for a moment. "Good." He smiled at her, and she returned his smile.


End file.
